The Pic du Midi de Bigorre has long been a landmark of European scientific exploration, situated above the French Pyrenees
In 2025, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre began a new chapter in its research with significant support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The site’s historic Observatory has undergone a considerable expansion to strengthen its role as a hub for both research and public outreach.
Investing in mountain science
The €5.4 million project, supported by €3 million in EU funding, represents a broader European effort to enhance scientific excellence and sustainable development in remote and mountainous regions.
The upgrades ensure that the Pic du Midi de Bigorre Observatory remains at the cutting edge of environmental and astronomical research, while also improving the experience of students, visiting researchers and the thousands of members of the public who journey to the summit each year.
A significant part of this upgrade involves enhancing the Observatory’s research infrastructure. By expanding key buildings and modernising essential equipment, the initiative ensures that the Pic du Midi can accommodate more international teams and support increasingly sophisticated experiments.
Expanding facilities for researchers
One of the project’s major components is the extension of the Dauzère/Soler building. This expansion increases accommodation capacity to house up to 30 researchers simultaneously, an essential factor in supporting long-term campaigns and collaborative work.
In addition to the new residential spaces, the building now features a seminar room designed to foster scientific exchange, as well as a central control room that consolidates the operation of telescopes and ongoing experiments.
This construction has also doubled the size of the environmental platform, a key area for investigating atmospheric physics. Researchers at the Pic du Midi are actively involved in monitoring greenhouse gases, airborne pollutants and other indicators of environmental change. The enlarged platform offers improved working conditions and greater flexibility for deploying sensors and instruments essential to these studies.
Upgrades around the Bernard Lyot Telescope
The second significant element of the project focuses on strengthening the Observatory’s astronomical capabilities. A new extension has been built adjacent to the iconic Bernard Lyot Telescope, one of Europe’s most potent instruments for studying stars and planetary systems.
This addition has allowed the relocation of the aluminising tank along with its associated infrastructure. Moving these facilities frees space for the installation of SPIP, a next-generation infrared spectropolarimeter. SPIP is designed to analyse stellar magnetic fields and better understand how these forces shape the environments of nearby exoplanets. Its arrival at the Pic du Midi positions the site to make significant contributions to the growing field of star–planet interaction studies.
The upgrade will also improve access for visitors and enhance the Observatory’s science outreach mission. The Pic du Midi has always been known not only for its scientific importance but also for its dramatic landscapes and immersive educational programmes. The improvements aim to deepen this dual identity, bringing science closer to the public in a unique natural setting.
With its upgrades completed in 2025, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre Observatory is equipped to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge in astronomy and environmental science.
The EU-supported investment shows its role as a meeting point for innovation, international collaboration and public understanding.
